1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of information handling system displays, and more particularly to a system and method for controlling indicator lights in portable information handling systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Information handling systems configured as portable units have grown in popularity among users over the past several years. Portable information handling systems generally integrate in a single housing a display, internal power source and processing components, such as the CPU and hard disk drive, so that a user can carry the portable system from place to place while the system is operating. As processing components have decreased in size and increased in performance, portable information handling systems are often able to pack processing capabilities into a relatively small housing that are comparable to the capabilities available from desktop systems. One important consideration to achieving portability is reducing the power consumption of the components within the system so that the internal power will support operations for a long enough time period. Generally, the most practical display solution for portable systems both in terms of size and power consumption are liquid crystal display (LCD) panels. LCD panels have a backlight, such as cool cathode florescent light (CCFL) that illuminates the display through a panel of pixels. An image is generated by altering the light-absorbing characteristics of the pixels so that backlight passing through a pixel has a desired color.
In addition to the CCFL, most portable information handling systems comprise a plurality of indicator lights that consume battery power. For example, some portable information handling systems have up to 48 configurable LED indictor lights. Each LED consumes up to 100 mW of power at maximum brightness, resulting in a possible power consumption of 4.8 W when all LEDs are active. This level of power consumption can result in a significant drain on the battery. Furthermore, a large number of active indicator lights can be distracting in a dim environment.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a system and method to control the brightness and power consumption of indicator lights on portable information handling systems both to optimize power consumption and to enhance the aesthetic appearance of the indicator lights.